Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to acclaimed documentary “Being Evel,” which chronicles the story of notorious stunt performer Robert “Evel” Knievel.

A co-production between HeLo and Dickhouse Productions, the film, which recently premiered at Sundance, was written and directed by Daniel Junge and produced for HISTORY Films by Brendan Kiernan, Justin Moore-Lewy and Mat Hoffman as well as Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville.

Gravitas Ventures founder/CEO Nolan Gallagher announced that the film will launch into theaters and VOD this summer.

In the history of sports, few names are more recognizable than that of Evel Knievel. Long after the man hung up his famous white leather jumpsuit and rode his Harley into the sunset, his name is still synonymous with the death-defying lifestyle he led. Notoriously brash, bold, and daring, Knievel stared death in the face from the seat of his motorcycle, but few know the larger-than-life story of the boy from Butte, Montana.

After an adolescence riddled with petty thievery and general rabble-rousing, Knievel set his sights on superstardom, a feat he achieved when televisions around the world aired the startling crash footage of his 1967 attempt to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The jump was spectacular, but the failed landing that sent him skidding like a ragdoll across the asphalt was the main attraction. Throughout the 1970s, his legacy as King of the Daredevils spawned action figures, movies, and a generation of kids who wanted to be just like Evel.

Featuring insights from current action sports superstars who were inspired by Evel’s iconic career, Oscar-winning director Junge immerses the audience in an incredible life story.

“We’re so proud of this film and excited to get it out the world. We love that Gravitas shares our excitement and we believe they are the right partner to bring the film to the largest possible audience,” said Junge.

“Gravitas is going to bring the right energy to bringing the widest possible audience to this film which received an overwhelmingly positive reaction at Sundance,” added Molly Thompson, senior VP of features for A+E Studios/ HISTORY Films.

“Evel Knievel and this film flat out kicked ass. We are thrilled to work with Daniel Junge, Mat Hoffman, Brendan Kiernan, Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine and A+E Studios/History Films to do everything we can to spread this story of a true iconoclast to audiences of all ages,” said Gallagher.

Junge’s recent films include “Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary,” “Fight Church” and the Oscar-winning documentary short “Saving Face.”

Knoxville is best known as the audacious creator and star of the “Jackass” MTV television show and major motion pictures.

The deal for “Being Evel” was negotiated by Gallagher for Gravitas and Submarine’s Josh Braun on behalf of the filmmakers.